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2013 All-Star Game starters announced

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Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis, the 2013 leading vote-getter in Major League Baseball, and St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, who led the National League in voting, will be among the starters in the 84th All-Star Game, to be played on Tuesday, July 16th at Citi Field in New York. The 2013 American League and National League All-Star Teams were unveiled earlier this evening on FOX during the 2013 All-Star Game Selection Show Presented by Taco Bell.

Davis, who leads the Majors with 32 home runs and a .717 slugging percentage, totaled 8,272,243 votes as he surpassed the A.L.'s starting third baseman, Miguel Cabrera (8,013,874) of the Detroit Tigers, in the final week to finish as the leading vote-getter in all of baseball. The Texas native is the second first-time All-Star to lead the Majors in voting, joining Ichiro Suzuki, who achieved the feat in his rookie season in 2001. Davis also becomes the second Oriole to lead MLB in All-Star balloting, joining Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr., who paced the Majors in 1992 and 1995. Davis, now an All-Star for the first time in his career, has 83 RBI on the season, two shy of his career-high and team-leading total of 85 set in 2012. He is just the third Orioles first baseman to earn a starting assignment, joining Boog Powell (1970-71) and Hall of Famer Eddie Murray (1985).

Cabrera, who leads the Majors with a .361 batting average, 120 hits, 86 RBI and a .451 on-base percentage, has secured his first career fan-elected start and his eighth Midsummer Classic selection overall. The 2012 A.L. MVP and Triple Crown winner, who is also tied for the Major League lead with 65 runs scored, is just the fifth Tigers infielder in history to win a fan election, joining Lou Whitaker (1984-86), Alan Trammell (1988), Placido Polanco (2007) and teammate Prince Fielder (2012).

Molina, who will be making his third fan-elected start in five seasons (also 2009-10), received 6,883,258 votes to lead the N.L. ahead of his Cardinals teammate Carlos Beltran, who garnered 6,786,919 votes. Molina, now a five-time All-Star overall, held on in a tightly contested race with San Francisco Giants backstop Buster Posey, who tallied the third-highest total in the N.L. with 6,474,088 votes. Molina, who leads the N.L. with a .346 batting average and 26 doubles, becomes the fifth player in Cardinals history to earn at least three fan-elected starting assignments, joining Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith (12), Albert Pujols (5), Mark McGwire (3) and Scott Rolen (3). The two-time World Series Champion also joins Hall of Famers Johnny Bench (10) and Gary Carter (8), as well as Mike Piazza (11) and fellow Puerto Rico native Benito Santiago (4) as the only N.L. catchers to receive at least three fan elections.

Beltran, who topped all N.L. outfielders in voting, claimed his second consecutive fan-elected start, his sixth career fan election and his eighth All-Star selection overall. The Cardinals, with Beltran and Molina winning fan elections, have now had at least one player receive a fan election in each of the last five seasons, marking the longest active streak in the N.L. In addition, St. Louis has now had an outfielder earn a starting nod in each of the last three seasons following Beltran's selection a year ago and Lance Berkman's election in 2011. Beltran, a native of Puerto Rico, ranks fifth in the N.L. with 19 home runs and sixth with a .537 slugging percentage.

Joining Beltran in the N.L. outfield will be Carlos Gonzalez of the Colorado Rockies and Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals. Gonzalez, an N.L. All-Star in 2012, finished second among N.L. outfielders with 4,214,904 votes. The 27-year-old leads the N.L. with 23 home runs, 65 runs scored, 199 total bases and 50 extra-base hits, and he is tied for the league lead with nine outfield assists. The Venezuelan native becomes just the third Rockies outfielder to earn a fan election, joining Dante Bichette (1996) and Larry Walker (1997-99).

Harper, who finished with 4,097,009 votes, came from behind in the final week of voting in a tight race for the final starting outfield spot. The 2012 N.L. Rookie of the Year, who was the youngest All-Star position player in history and the third-youngest Major League All-Star ever in 2012, becomes just the second fan-elected starter in Nationals history, joining Alfonso Soriano (2006). Harper, who finished just ahead of Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen (3,855,928) and Atlanta's Justin Upton (3,678,190), will become the third-youngest player to start a Midsummer Classic. According to Elias, the only players younger than Harper (20 years, 270 days on July 16th) to start a Midsummer Classic were Hall of Famer Al Kaline in 1955 (20 years, 205 days) and Ken Griffey, Jr. in 1990 (20 years, 231 days).

In the A.L. outfield, Adam Jones of the Orioles finished ahead of Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in a back-and-forth battle for the top outfield spot. They are joined by 2011 leading vote-getter Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays. Jones received 6,793,577 votes en route to his first fan-elected starting nod and his third All-Star selection overall. The 27-year-old joins Hall of Famer Frank Robinson (1970-71), Ken Singleton (1981) and Brady Anderson (1997) as the only outfielders in Orioles history to be voted an All-Star by the fans. Jones, a native of San Diego, ranks among A.L. leaders with 57 runs scored (T-4th), 104 hits (T-6th), 59 RBI (7th) and 22 doubles (T-9th). Trout, who was the seventh-youngest A.L. position player in All-Star history last year, garnered 6,771,745 votes to earn his first fan-elected start. The 21-year-old joins Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson (1982-84), Fred Lynn (1982-83) and Vladimir Guerrero (2004-07) as the only outfielders in Angels history to earn a fan-elected starting nod. The New Jersey native is the only player in the A.L. to hit at least 10 home runs and steal at least 20 bases thus far in the 2013 season. In addition, the reigning A.L. Rookie of the Year is tied for first in the Majors with 34 multi-hit games and he ranks third in the A.L. with 185 total bases and fourth with 108 hits and 45 extra-base hits. Bautista collected 3,999,631 votes to hold off Nick Markakis of the Orioles (3,783,189) for the final A.L. outfield spot. Bautista, a four-time All-Star, has now claimed a fan-elected starting assignment in each of the last three seasons becoming the first Blue Jays outfielder, and the second Blue Jays player ever, to receive three fan-elected starting assignments, joining Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar, who earned four consecutive fan-elected starts at second base from 1991-94. The Dominican Republic native, who leads the Majors with 144 home runs since the start of the 2010 season, ranks third in the A.L. with 59 runs, is tied for third with 47 walks and tied for seventh with 20 home runs.

Joining Davis and Cabrera in the A.L. infield is New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano and Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy. Cano, who is now an All-Star for the fifth time in his career, totaled 5,369,141 votes to become the first A.L. second baseman to receive four consecutive fan elections since Alomar earned five straight from 1996-2000. The Dominican Republic native is also just the fourth Yankees infielder to secure four fan elections, joining Hall of Famer Wade Boggs (4), Derek Jeter (8) and Alex Rodriguez (6). Cano, who will serve as the A.L. captain at the 2013 Chevrolet Home Run Derby, leads Major League second basemen with 20 home runs. Hardy, who leads A.L. shortstops with 15 home runs and 46 RBI, claimed 5,283,144 votes en route to his second All-Star selection and first fan-elected starting nod. The 2007 N.L. All-Star joins Ripken (1984-87, 89-96) and Miguel Tejada (2005) as the only Orioles shortstops to earn fan-elected starts. Baltimore's trio of starters - Davis, Jones and Hardy - tie a franchise record for fan-elected starters in a Midsummer Classic, joining Boog Powell and Hall of Famers Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson in 1971, and Brady Anderson, Ripken and Alomar in 1997.

Cincinnati Reds teammates Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips man the right side of the N.L. infield, becoming the fifth pair of N.L. teammates (sixth time) to earn fan-elected starts at first and second base. The others include Steve Garvey and Davey Lopes of the Los Angeles Dodgers (1979 and 1980), Pete Rose and Manny Trillo of the Philadelphia Phillies (1982), Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio of the Houston Astros (1997) and Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks of the Milwaukee Brewers (2011). Votto, who received 5,128,515 votes, claims his second consecutive fan-elected starting assignment and his fourth All-Star nod overall. The 2010 N.L. MVP, who leads the N.L. with 60 walks and a .433 on-base percentage, is the first Reds player to earn consecutive fan-elected starts since Hall of Famer Barry Larkin (1999-2000). Votto, a native of Canada, has reached base safely in 79 of his 86 games played this season, including his current season-high streak of 20 consecutive games. Phillips, now a three-time All-Star, tallied 4,799,417 votes, holding off Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals (4,337,408) and 2012 NLCS MVP Marco Scutaro of the Giants (4,117,815), en route to his first career Midsummer Classic starting assignment. Phillips, who leads the Majors with 24 go-ahead RBI and 13 game-winning RBI, is the first Reds second baseman to earn a fan election since Hall of Famer Joe Morgan received seven straight fan elections from 1972-78.

Rounding out the N.L. starters on the left side of the infield is third baseman David Wright of the hometown New York Mets, who received the fourth-largest total in the N.L. with 6,411,381 votes, and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki of the Colorado Rockies, who posted 5,404,860 votes. Wright, who claims his seventh All-Star selection overall, becomes just the second N.L. third baseman to receive at least five fan-elected starts, joining Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt (9). The 2013 Chevrolet Home Run Derby N.L. captain ranks among N.L. leaders with a .396 on-base percentage (4th), 43 walks (5th), five triples (T-6th), a .524 slugging percentage (7th), 37 extra-base hits (T-8th) and 14 stolen bases (9th). Since June 5th, he is batting .363 (41-for-113) with 18 runs scored, 12 doubles, six home runs, 13 RBI and a .438 on-base percentage over 27 games. Tulowitzki, who is currently on the disabled list with a broken rib, claims his third All-Star nod and his first career fan-elected starting assignment. The 28-year-old, who joins first baseman Todd Helton (2001-03) as the only Rockies infielders to win a fan election, becomes the fourth consecutive different N.L. shortstop to earn the starting nod, joining Rafael Furcal (2012), Jose Reyes (2011) and Hanley Ramirez (2010). In addition, Tulowitzki and Gonzalez become the first pair of Rockies teammates to earn starting bids together.

Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer and Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz round out the starters for the A.L. squad. Mauer, who drew 5,443,856 votes, obtains his sixth career All-Star selection and his fourth fan-elected starting assignment behind the plate, joining Ivan Rodriguez (12) and Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk (7) as the only A.L. catchers to earn four fan-elected starts. The 2009 A.L. MVP also becomes one of just three players in Twins history to accomplish the feat, joining Hall of Famers Rod Carew (9) and Kirby Puckett (6). Mauer, the 2010 Major League leading vote-getter, leads Major League catchers with 49 runs scored and a .395 on-base percentage, and ranks second with 25 doubles and a .314 batting average. Ortiz, now an All-Star for the ninth time in his career and a fan-elected starter for the seventh time, totaled 6,226,301, which was good for fifth overall in the A.L. The Dominican Republic native becomes the 10th player in A.L. history to receive at least seven fan-elected starts with one team, joining Ripken (17), Hall of Famer George Brett (11), Ken Griffey, Jr. (10), Carew (9), Ivan Rodriguez (9), Ichiro Suzuki (9), Jeter (8), Hall of Famer Dave Winfield (7) and former teammate Manny Ramirez (7). Since his season debut on April 20th, the 37-year-old ranks third in the Majors with 61 RBI, and with his 500th career double earlier this week, he became the 20th player in Major League history to reach both the 400-homer and 500-double milestones.

MLB's All-Star Balloting Program is the largest of its kind in professional sports, and this year fans cast approximately 37.3 million ballots, representing the second-highest total ever. More than 20 million Firestone All-Star ballots were distributed at the 30 Major League ballparks, each of which had 25 dates for balloting, and in approximately 100 Minor League ballparks. After the in-stadium phase of balloting concluded on Friday, June 28th, fans still had the opportunity to cast their votes for starters exclusively online at MLB.com, the 30 Club Web sites and their mobile devices until Thursday, July 4th at 11:59 p.m. (EDT).

Firestone, the official tire of MLB, was once again the exclusive sponsor of the 2013 In-Stadium All-Star Balloting Program. The ballot featured an All-Star sweepstakes, in which a winner will be rewarded with a trip for two to MLB All-Star Week, including airfare, hotel accommodations, tickets to the All-Star Game and other MLB All-Star Week events.

The American League All-Star Team has nine elected starters via the fan balloting program, while the National League All-Star Team has eight fan-elected starters. The pitchers and reserves for both squads - totaling 25 for the N.L. and 24 for the A.L. - were determined through a combination of "Player Ballot" choices and selections made by the two All-Star managers - A.L. skipper Jim Leyland of the Detroit Tigers and N.L. manager Bruce Bochy of the defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants.

Fans can now begin to vote to select the final player for each League's 34-man roster via the 2013 All-Star Game MLB.com Final Vote Sponsored by freecreditscore.com. Fans can cast their votes from a list of five players from each League over a five-day period and the winners will be announced after the voting concludes on Thursday, July 11th. Now in its 12th season with more than 350 million votes cast, fans again will be able to make their Final Vote selections on MLB.com, Club sites and their mobile phones.

The final phase of All-Star Game voting again will have fans participating in the official voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. During the Midsummer Classic, fans will vote exclusively online at MLB.com and the 30 Club sites via the 2013 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote, and their collective voice will represent 20 percent of the official vote determining this year's recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.

The 2013 All-Star Game will be played at Citi Field on Tuesday, July 16th. The 84th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 200 countries via MLB International's independent feed. Pregame ceremonies will begin at 7:30 p.m. (EDT). ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com or mets.com/asg.